Students use AI every day—now Navneet wants teachers to do the same

Seeing students use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools like ChatGPT or Midjourney to error-proof their essays, summarise a chapter, or create eye-catching images for their projects is fascinating, but Navneet Education feels all this GenAI for students hype is forgetting one important people group – teachers.

“Since day one of Navneet's operations to now and till the next 65 years, we will consider teachers as the biggest influencers to the students,” says Devish Gala, director of branding, marketing, and sales at Navneet Education. 
He was speaking to afaqs! about NavneetAI, a tool designed for teachers to create quizzes, snap cards, and even quick educational games to enhance their lessons.

Founded in 1959, Navneet Education publishes academic books for schools, and manufactures stationery products. It is a highly popular name in Maharashtra and Gujarat. Its consolidated revenue for FY24 was Rs 1,693 crore.

Gala and his team took us through the entire NavneetAI offering, during which he pitched the offering as superior to large language models because it was built on the academic syllabus of CBSE and state boards in Maharashtra and Gujarat, unlike the entire internet which a ChatGPT is trained on; it helps teachers sharply design their lessons rather than wade through unnecessary information that an LLM would spit out. 

But there is worry about GenAI taking away jobs; weren’t the teachers concerned when Navneet pitched this AI model to them and their schools? 

“When we talk to teachers, we are telling them how NavneetAI will help them and not saying how the system is going to help students. Our first line is, ‘We are giving you an assistant,’” explains Gala. 

As of now, Navneet Education is targeting CBSE schools and big state board schools because they possess the required digital infrastructure. “It is easy for them to adopt and start using the AI from day one, and we will receive proper feedback too.” 

However, it should not be just any ordinary school. The school should already be purchasing Navneet's workbooks as part of their business dealings. “If someone is doing a four lakh rupees business with us, and we are expecting a five or six lakh business coming from them…”

Ask about the schools that don’t fit the bill, and Gala answers they will help hook the school up with “panel distributors, TV distributors” to set them on their digital infrastructure journey.

There has been no decision taken on advertising for Navneet AI, and Gala is banking on exhibitions where the offering is shown and explained in its entirety to interested schools. 

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NavneetAI won’t charge schools for the incoming academic year and will only do so in the next one. Gala reveals they’ve issued over 175 licenses to schools.  What’s that? Think of it like a login designed for one individual. In this case, it pertains to teachers.

First, a school has to buy the workbooks from Navneet for a certain class, and only then will Navneet AI be available for them. For example: If a school buys workbooks for science and geography for class 7, it will receive Navneet AI for science and geography only, i.e., two licenses. Without books, the school will not receive any AI.  
“We don't want to give anyone AI without having them buy our books because the intention of bringing out such a tool also is to grow our book sales,” remarks Gala.

Now, each licence contains 8,000 credits. Teachers are advised to save their work for every action they take—like creating a PPT or asking a question to the chatbot—so that another teacher can continue from there instead of creating a new action and using up a credit. 

Then there is the question of data which is collected on the actions a teacher performs. “We will share the data monthly with the school. So, the principal, who has trusted us with this technology, will get to know how the licences were used,” explains Gala.